Onboarding is the process of integrating a new employee into a company. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s become harder than before – particularly for companies working remotely for the first time.

The process has been challenging enough when conducted under the same roof. A 2019 survey by Accountemps found that while nearly all professionals polled (95%) said their company has an onboarding process, 59% of employees have experienced a “mishap” when starting a position.

Why is onboarding important?

Onboarding is a crucial opportunity to make an impression and win over your new employees. According to a study by Glassdoor, organisations with an effective onboarding program can boost the retention of new hires by 82% and productivity by over 79%.

The absence of or poor onboarding does the opposite – it lowers employee engagement, increases employee turnover, and lowers productivity.

Consider the perspective of a new hire: If you go through a poor onboarding, it’s reasonable to think the employer isn’t well managed and you were wrong to take the job. Given that impression, would new hires want to stay long term?

How long should onboarding take?

Onboarding can stretch from a day, a couple of weeks, to over 3 months, depending on various factors. A CareerBuilder survey of over 2,300 hiring managers and HR professionals found that:

• 25% of employers had an onboarding process that took only a day or less.
• 26% said their onboarding took over the course of a month.
• Only 11% extended to 3 months or longer.

However, studies (like this one) suggest that companies can improve retention by extending the process throughout the new hire’s first year.

Onboarding checklist for remote employees

To better onboard your new hires even when they’re working remotely, here’s a quick checklist of tasks and objectives to complete:

• Send the necessary hardware – If you provide your employees the hardware they use for work, ensure that they’ve received everything well in advance of their first day. If necessary, ask your IT department to help the new hire set everything up.
  
  
• Have them accomplish the paperwork – Make sure the new hires have filled out all the necessary documents (e.g. employment contract, benefit forms). Consider using an e-signature utility to speed the process along as printing, scanning, and emailing every form can be tedious.
  
  
• Orient them with the tools you use (IT department, communication software) – Teach your new hires how to use all essential software. This includes your tools for communication (e.g. instant messaging, video conferencing), cloud storage, and computer security.
  
  
• Send a welcome package– To help new employees feel they belong, give them a welcome pack that would help them be productive right away. The pack may include office supplies, branded items (e.g. shirt, pen, cap), a welcome card, and reading materials.
  
  
• Acquaint them with your company culture – While your team is remote, it doesn’t mean you’re disconnected. Your company culture is what keeps you together. Introduce new hires to it by sending them materials like your employee handbook, and videos of your company values.
  
  
• Set goals and expectations – Instruct the hiring managers to prepare a task calendar and establish outcomes for their new hires. This would enable your newcomers to hit the ground running on their first day.
  
  
• Introduce them to colleagues – On their first day of work, new hires should meet their teammates, immediate superiors, and employees from other departments they’ll be working with. You can also assign new hires to a mentor they can consult. This will help foster a supportive environment.
  
  
• Train them in their roles – Working remotely poses a few training difficulties. For best results, use videos and/or interactive online training courses to improve engagement. Don’t forget to contact the trainees and ask them questions to facilitate learning.
  
  
• Touch base with them regularly – You need to schedule calls with new hires on a regular basis and chat with them on how they’re doing in their jobs. Ask them probing questions to find out if they’ve been encountering any difficulties.

Partner with us

Onboarding isn’t easy. To make the process less exhausting, outsource your recruitment to Remote Workmate. We’ll craft your job description; screen applicants; and endorse the best talent. Because unlike freelancing sites where you do everything yourself, we handle the heavy lifting for you.

Finding the ideal hire and working with them has never been this easy.

You can actually choose from our pool of top candidates right away. Simply click the button below to browse a wide range of profiles on our Hotlist page.